Girl Scout SWAP GuideBead & Pin SWAPS

Girl Scout Troop 2702Volume 1, Issue 1

GSTROOP2702.WEBS.COMLindsay Foster & Rachelle Whiteman, Co-Leaders

Table of Contents

• The Purpose of SWAPs

• What is a SWAP?

• SWAP Etiquette

• SWAP Tips

• Bead & Pin SWAPs

The Purpose of SWAPS

SWAPs should tell something about the givers or their group (girls may include their address or email information so others can write to them) and represent the givers' country, community, or local Girl Scout council.

What is a SWAP?• There are several meanings for the term,

but these are some of the most common ones:

– Special Whatchamacallit Affectionately Pinned

– Shared With A Pal– Sharing With a Purpose

• It is likely that the idea for Swaps came from the potlatch ceremonies of the Native American Tribes of the Northwest coast. Potlatch ceremonies involved the trading of colored feathers as a sign of friendship. The ceremony is said to have developed in remembrance of two Native American girls who gave colored feathers plucked from a magic bird to colorless birds, thus ensuring all birds would have colored

• feathers.

Potlatch ceremonies commemorated their gift and were held in conjunction with other family and tribal celebrations, such as births and marriages. The traditional invitation to a potlatch ceremony was the arrival of a messenger bearing the news and a bundle of sticks, one stick for each participant expected to attend.

• It is believed that the very first SWAP was exchanged by Lord Baden Powell at a Jamboree in 1924.

“Girl Scouts began trading SWAPS at the National

Roundups.”

SWAP Etiquette

• Never refuse to swap with another person.• Swap face-to-face, especially if exchanging

addresses or email information.• Avoid using glass and sharp objects in swaps.• Follow all Safety-Wise guidelines.• Avoid using food products, unless they are

individually wrapped.• Do not include your entire name on your SWAP.

Instead use first name/last initial, a Troop number, or first initial/last name.

SWAP Tips• Think about the kind of swap

you would like to receive from someone else.

• Try not to spend a lot of money. Consider making something from donated or recycled material.

• Be creative, and take time to make hand-crafted swaps. (Include directions for making the swap if it is a craft project that can be replicated.)

• Try to have one swap for each event participant and staff member. Plan ahead so there's time to make the swaps.

• Make swaps that can be worn, used, or displayed.

• Ask your Troop, group or service unit for help, if needed, in putting swaps together.

• Make swaps portable. Remember: Swaps must be carried or shipped ahead to the event, where other girls will be carrying them away

• Note: Do not use food materials that will disintegrate or attract insects or animals. Also do not use liquids in SWAPs.

Author’s Note:This presentation is not meant to

be comprehensive as a guide to SWAPs making.

Please use your imagination and adapt the ideas to your personal

tastes.

Generally held on a coil-less pin

Corn on the Cob SWAPMaterials:

• Raffia

• 12 yellow beads

• Pipe cleaner/chenille stem

• Safety pin

Instructions:

Take a pipe cleaner and cut in half.  Twist the two halves together in the middle. Put 6 yellow beads on each stem.  Glue the four ends together.  Make a bow out of raffia. Attach pin to raffia.

Mini Headdress SWAPThis mini headdress is only 2" big.

Materials:

• Silver Safety Pins, Size 2

• Red and Turquoise Pony Beads

• Spaghetti Beads

• Feather Charms

• 5mm Silver Round Beads

• Metallic Silver Pipe Cleaner

• Scissors

Instructions: Open up 9 safety pins. Slide on a spaghetti bead then a turquoise pony bead. Close

the pin. Cut two 5" pieces of pipe cleaner. String one small 4mm silver bead on one piece of pipe cleaner. Bend the end to keep it in place. String on a red pony bead. Then on go through the head of a beaded safety pin, then a red pony bead, then through the head of a beaded safety pin. Continue until you have strung on ten red pony beads and all nine beaded safety pins. Make sure all the pins face the same way. Finish with a small 4mm round bead. Twist pipe cleaner to secure in place and trim. Using the other 5" pipe cleaner piece, string on a small 4mm round bead, then go through the coiled loop at the end of the first beaded safety pin. Continue alternating small 4mm round beads with the beaded pins pushing the whole group to the middle of the pipe cleaner. String a feather charm on each side and a final 4mm small round bead on each side. Bend pipe cleaner in a small loop at each to secure. Trim.

Troop Number SWAP Materials:

• One Coil-less Safety Pin - 1½" Gold

• Four Coil-less Safety Pins - 3/4" Gold

• Number Beads

• E-Beads

Instructions:

String five e-beads on each ¾" coil-less safety pin. String one of your ¾" coil-less safety pins onto a 1½" coil-less safety pin. Then string your first number bead, followed by another ¾" pin, the second number bead, another ¾" pin, the third number and the final ¾" pin.

Pony Bead Flag SWAPThe perfect kid version of the famous flag pin. For ages

7 and up.

Materials:

• 6 Safety Pins, Size 4

• Safety Pin, Coil-less-1/4"

• Red, White & Blue Pony Beads

• U,S,A and "Heart" Letter Beads

Instructions:

Each row is a size 4 pin with pony beads strung on it. Open pins and string beads following the picture above provided. Start at the top with column 1 and work down. You will have 6 beaded pins.

Open up a coil-less pin. You'll need to open the pin out to a wide angle to get the beads around the loop. Beginning with the beaded pin on the far right, thread base loop of the beaded pin onto the coil-less pin, push around loop to the other side of the pin. String on a "heart" letter bead, then the 2nd pin from the right followed by an "A" letter bead. Continue until you have threaded on 6 pins and 5 letter beads, following pattern above from right to left. Close coil-less pin.

Troop Pride SWAPMaterials:

• Safety Pins

• Pony BeadsUse red, white and blue for the USA pin.Use yellow for a parent that has gone to war.Use green for Girl Scouts and blue/yellow for Cub Scouts.

• Letter Beads or Number Beads

• 18" Satin Cord

Instructions:Cut satin cord into 18" lengths. Fold in half and half hitch to a safety

pin by placing the folded end down through the pin and drawing the cord ends down through the folded end loop. Diagram at right shows how a key ring will look with cord half hitched to it.

String the top bead onto both cords and push up to the safety pin. Lace the first row of three beads onto one cord. Lace the other cord through the same beads in reverse order. Pull both cords snugly. Continue with the next row of three beads until you have laced the five rows.

String the bottom bead onto both cords and push up to the last row. Tie off. Trim cords.